Pre-Health Professions Program

College of Natural and Behavioral Sciences

Examples of Health Professions

Chiropractic

Dentistry

Medicine

Optometry

Osteopathy

Pharmacy

Podiatry

Veterinary
Medicine

Program Description

An important component of the CSUDH undergraduate
curriculum is the preparation of students for medical and other health
professional programs, e.g. dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, etc.This preparation can include a major in the
sciences as well as a major in other disciplines, e.g. music, history, English,
etc.In fact, a “well rounded” education
is viewed very favorably by many health professional school admissions
committees, so for even those who major in a science, it is important to obtain
a broad liberal arts education by taking electives in the humanities, fine arts
and social and behavioral sciences. However, it must be recognized that
majoring in a non-science discipline does require completing, and doing
well, in the science courses that are pre-requisites for admissions to the
health professional schools.

Since many of the professional health schools (e.g.
medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, optometry and podiatry) require similar courses
as requirements for admissions, this sheet describes the CSUDH courses for
“pre-health professional” programs.

Generally, the requirements for these health
professional schools include one-year lecture and laboratory in general
chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, general biology and math.In addition, medical schools may recommend
additional courses in embryology, genetics and biochemistry.

To reiterate, students must meet these requirements in
addition to those of their major.

Students who already have a bachelor’s degree in an
area other than the sciences may, of course, fulfill the minimum requirements
for entrance into these health schools by completing the core requirements
through a post-baccalaureate program or even a second bachelor’s degree.

Faculty in the sciences, i.e. biology, chemistry and
physics often teach the required courses.At CSUDH, students taking these courses benefit from small class size,
close instructor contact and active advising programs.

Academic Advising

Regardless of their major, pre-professional health
students should be advised by a faculty member with knowledge of the admission
requirements of the health professional schools so as to assist them in
planning a entrance requirements for the professional school.

Since the entrance requirements vary, it is
important that the student works with the advisor to determine the specific
requirements of each school to which they plan to apply.

Community College transfer students often complete
some of the lower division required courses at their community college.
However, they should consult with the Pre-health advisor, the Advising Center
and the University Catalog for the requirements.

Dr. Thomas Landefeld, from the biology department,
has been designated as the CSUDH Pre-health Advisor. Students who are
interested in a career in the health professions should make an appointment
with him at any stage of their education, preferably as early as possible once
they have made that decision.

Preparation

It is strongly advised that you check individual
schools for their requirements and recommendations as some schools may have
specific requirements for their programs.

The following list represents some general
requirements.

Pre-Health Courses

Required courses:

1 year general biology with lab (e.g. BIO 120/122)

1 year general chemistry with lab (e.g. CHE 110/112)

1 year organic chemistry with lab (e.g. CHE
310/311/312/313)

1 year college math - many school are requiring statistics
and calculus (e.g. MAT 131/MAT 171 or 191)

1 year physics with lab (e.g. PHY 120/122 or PHY
130/132) while some schools may specify a calculus based-physics

1 year college English (composition)

Recommended courses:

Biochemistry with lab (e.g. CHE 450/451) – strongly
recommended

Spanish (particularly for CA and TX schools, but
others may also recommend) – strongly recommended

Pharmacy--- economics
and composition (often required); experience in a pharmacy (may be required)

Osteopathic medicine– A letter of recommendation from
a D.O. (usually required)

Additional Experiences that strengthen an
application:

Scientific research

Hospital/health care volunteer services

Physician shadowing

It is critical that
you speak to the Pre-health advisor to not only discuss your specific career
plan but also to better prepare your application regarding such things as a
personal statement, obtaining letters of recommendation and choosing schools.
However, in addition, the student must familiarize themselves with as much
information as possible regarding not only the health professional schools but
also about the career itself.An
excellent resource for researching health careers is www.explorehealthcareers.org.